Evasive maneuvers

Evasive maneuvers (also known as evasive action or defensive pattern) were a sequence of defensive movements employed by starshipcommanders to evade enemy weapons fire, or capture. These movements were specified by predefined or on the spot course changes. Although each race used different terminology for their evasive maneuvers, the tactics remained the same.

An example of this was the Starfleet maneuver "pattern delta" which was to simply a maneuver of rocking the ship hard from port to starboard. Evasive "pattern delta 5" was used to keep attacking ships off balance. (DS9: "Shattered Mirror", "The Search, Part I")

In contrast to evasive patterns, offensive movements such as attack patterns or tactical patterns are instances where a starship commander intends to engage the enemy in a confrontation, rather than evade. These patterns were known as standard maneuvers.

Then there were other types of maneuvers that were named for the person who executed them the first time such as "The Picard Maneuver" which was named for Jean Luc Picard. (TNG: "The Battle")

Evasive Maneuver Sequences are simply a series or array of maneuvers which fit a particular circumstance, but then is left to the helmsman to execute the individual maneuvers themselves with discretion.